Who Were Good Leaders?

Thanks to everyone who posted on my ‘who’s a good leader?’ poll.

All of you choose George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and rightly so. Those men were outstanding leaders with great influence. They united people to a common goal.

What might surprise you is that all the men in my poll were good leaders. All men had great influence. Hilter was one of the greatest leaders of time. They all had influence to change people’s mind, and ultimately to change their course of action.

The difference between these men wasn’t if they were good leaders; it was where they lead. Washington and Lincoln were godly and servant leaders, while Hitler and Darwin promoted a lie, and death. They all had influence. The questions was whether it positive or evil.

What Kind of Monster are you?

Ok, so you may be wounding why we’ve been talking about these two old books. So what, you might say. Who cares about books written in the 1880s? Well, the reason I brought up the story of Hyde and Frankenstein is because one of these stories is true.

Which story do you think it is? Which monster describes mankind? It can’t be both. Let’s look at the fundamental differences between the two:

Hyde

• Man is inherently evil
• Evil (sin) controls us and leads to death
• Individual is responsible for his wrong actions
• Man can’t save himself

Frankenstein

• Man is basically good
• Society turns him evil, and therefore is responsible for his wrong actions
• Man can save himself

As you can see, both monsters can’t be true. So, what kind of monster are you? Comment your answer.

The Story of Frankenstein

Dr. Victor Frankenstein, like Dr. Henry Jekyll, was a great scientist. He began collecting parts of various corpses, sewed them together, and gave them the spark of life. The monster is large and so horrible, that Frankenstein flees. Victor doesn’t see the monster again for years.

The peaceful time is shattered when Victory’s little brother is murdered. All though a family friend is accused, Victory believes that his monster is responsible.

During a trip in the mountains, Victor meets his monster. In his defense, the monster tells his story; wherever he turned, he found hatred of men. He thought it was because he couldn’t communicate, so he taught himself to read and write. He also preformed good deeds. He wanted to prove that he was good, pure, and, worth of friendship. He claimed,“

"For a long time I could not conceive how one man could go forth and murder his fellow, or even why there were laws and government.”

The innocence didn’t last. Men still hated him and, while saving woman from drowning, he was shot in the shoulder by her fiancé. This is the last straw, and the monster vows vengeance to all mankind.

“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I will again be virtuous.”

The monster begs Victor to make him a companion that would love him. When Victor refuses, the monster swears to kill Victor’s fiancé, which he does. Victor sets out to kill the monster and tracks him up into the frozen arctic. Both Victor and the monster freeze.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Henry Jekyll is a well respected member of London society. In his professional life, he is a medical doctor, scientist and academician.

Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men - a good and an evil side. He believes that by separating the two man can become liberated. In his experiments, he uses himself as the subject to test his hypothesis. His evil side, who he coins Mr. Hyde, escapes into London, and terrorizes the city. When Hyde drinks the potion, he transforms back into Dr. Jekyll.

When Henry is Hyde, he is purity evil and free to be wicket without hurting Dr. Jekyll’s reputation. When Henry is Dr. Jekyll again, he is not purely good, but a mix of good and evil.

"Hence, although I had now two characters as well as two appearances, one was wholly evil, and the other was still old Henry Jekyll, that incongruous compound of whose reformation and improvement I had all ready learned to despair. The movement was thus wholly toward the worse."

As time goes by, it becomes easier to transform into Hyde, but harder and more painful to transform back into Jekyll. Soon, Henry starts transforming into Hyde without the aid of the potion.

Henry realizes that he can’t be both men, but he will have to choice one twin and stay him. By then, it is too late. Hyde has taken over, and Henry can’t transform back into Jekyll, no matter how much of the potion he drinks. He is trapped in Hyde’s body. He chooses suicide rather than enslavement to his monster.